Interview With a Dead Girl
by MySoberThoughts
Summary: [AU] Gaara is aspiring to be the greatest journalist to ever have come from Suna, but his experience is lacking. When he attends Konoha University to seek further inspiration, he comes face to face with his greatest muse. But there's just one problem. She’s dead.
1. chapter 1

**A/N: Welcome all, to my new project. I've been fooling around with this concept for about 2 months and I finally found some time to write it up. If you've read any of my stories, the narrative for this will be similar. Switching between the overall narrative of the story and key character's pov's. This one will be a little more Gaara centric. There will be some pairings that I have in mind. But I'm always open to suggestions The rating is mostly for Naruto's mouth and to maintain my creative freedom.** **Anyway. Read, review, (and hopefully) enjoy.**

 **-Sober T**

 **Interview With a Dead Girl**

 _"Ghost are beyond comprehension. They have come and lived, and come again. Yet, we have only started. Should by some Devine intervention they decide to take us with them on their second voyage, may bask in the wisdom of life once lived. Or perhaps, heed its truth."_

 **xXx**

Writing is easy.

I spend most of my time in class observing those around me. Taking in their vast array of different social interactions and ongoings, analyzing them in my own way. That's just how I do things.

I was a homeschool kid up until college and to be honest it's a bitch of a handicap. So I use what I understand to help me make sense of what's going on around me. Typically, by writing. I can describe people in a way that's more comprehensible to me on paper. Like how man is driven for example. Seemingly by studies, money, procreating, attention, or whatever. And breaking down atmosphere, and how it is determined by individual drive and conflicting ideas? Sure, I can do that too. It makes sense and it's easy to comprehend.

And It's not like I was a prisoner in my own home or anything crazy like that. Just inexperienced in the ways that people choose to conduct themselves with one another on such a daily basis.

I just want to be a better writer. Someone who can truly capture the human experience and put it into words for others to see as I do. Hopefully a room full of strangers will help me with that. Hopefully there will be enough friction, love and drama, or maybe even hate to motivate my writing. That's the kind of environment I'm hoping for anyway. Because what really gets my muse pumping is chaos. The unknown factor that makes for all great stories, mysteries, or interviews. Hell, anything anyone has ever had to say. Chaos makes for great writing, and there hasn't seemed to be a shortage of it around here lately...

 **xXx**

The only reason Gaara bothered going to college was for the "challenge". He was smart and he knew it. However, It's one thing to say your an intellectual, but can you really measure up to others if you've been set in the same controlled atmosphere most of your life?

He didn't seem to think so.

So instead of jumping straight into journalism in Suna, despite being able to _easily_ manage a job shadowing his father (the current Kazekage), he decided to seek greater learning in Konoha city. Specifically at Konoha University, in hopes of finding something, or someone that could add fuel to his already burning desire to _experience._

His optimism was high after learning his sister had a rather positive experience at the college and even went on to be an ambassador for their country a few years later after graduating from the school. The Sabaku's were known for achieving, but this was something that could simply be overshadowed by being "daddy's little journalist" as his brother Kankuro so teasingly put it.

His father pushed him towards oppurtunities only a state official could and his mother only showered him with encouragement.Her little Gaara has a gift he needed to share and she would always remind him of that.

He'd won countless awards for creative writing and opinion based journalism. Making a bit of a name for himself as Suna's youngest aspiring writer. But it didn't really mean shit if he wanted to be a journalist with no real people skills.

So 8 o'clock Monday morning is where we first find him, taking post in the back of a rather large auditorium, waiting for the day's lesson to began as he jots down noticeable characteristics of his classmates. Having yet to properly meet them, he types his opinions about his classmates with more notable reputations.

 _'Shikamaru Nara: The first to completely ace all entrance exams for the school in the last 50 years. Impressive. But he's noticeably lazy in demeanor, slouching around and appears to be asleep before the lecture even begins... My sister has an odd choice in boyfriends.'_

Gaara takes the occasional glance over his computer as students slowly begin to pile in, noting that he and Shikamaru seem to be the only ones who gave a damn about the 8am start time. The latter only doing so to find a prime sleeping position against the window in the front corner of the room.

Some other notable entries where Kiba Inuzaka and Sasuke Uchiha.

 _'Kiba Inuzaka: A prodigy in the field of animal physiology and medicine. It's safe to say he confidently put this class off as a buffer to make his senior year a bit more "lenient". His attitude is blunt as his confidence is fierce if his stroll has any indication of his character.'_

 _'Sasuke Uchiha: Heir to the Uchiha family after his elder brother Itachi Uchiha declined his claim to the Uchiha family fortune. He seems to be in a constant state of brooding. Perhaps something to prove? Or maybe something deeper.'_

It went on like this for a while until he'd amassed about six individuals in his makeshift character bio. He wasn't quite sure what he wanted to gain from the people here, but he was sure about his motives.

He was going to find the most interesting person here and take that persons living, breathing, existence and write it into something equally as beautiful.

Ensnared in his typing as always Gaara didn't really notice all too much when two boys sat down in the two remaining desk at his left. The one closest to him reaching out a hand to pat him on the shoulder.

"Hey man, mind if I sit here?"

"I suppose not." Gaara seemed timid under the blonde boys' thick layer of enthusiasm this early morning. A slight jump at the sudden contact.

"I'm Naruto. Naruto Uzamaki. And that's my brother Menma." The guy he pointed to was a mirror image of the blonde, just obviously less invested in the greeting and sporting a gruesome shade of jet black hair. "Hey bro, stop being a dick, say hi or somethin."

The boy in question took a moment from setting up his desk to give a lame wave at the redhead. He seemed a bit surprised that he actually bothered to acknowledge Naruto, but quickly let it go to say-

"Hi." And just like that, he was back to staring at the front of the classroom.

"Hello." Was all Gaara could muster back at the short statement.

"Don't mind him." Naruto leaned forward in a little closer in his desk to give pretty loud whisper. "He's kind of an asshole in the morning."

"Thanks for the heads up. I'm Gaara by the way, I just got here yesterday-"

" **OH!** That big shot homeschool kid from Suna? That's fucking awesome! I never met a homeschool kid before. Is it weird being the Kazekages kid? Have you ever talked to real teenagers before?! Do you-"

"Naruto." Menma warned. "Don't scare the kid, you just met him."

"Y-yeah my bad." He sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "My bad. Welcome to Konoha man. It's a _hell_ of a party."

 _'Damn. This guy is something else.'_

"It's ok, I'm used to the questions. But just try to think of me as a normal guy? It's easier that way."

 **xXx**

He extended his hand to me, and I have to admit, I felt like a fucking idiot. Because it took me about three whole seconds of solid contemplation to realize that he wanted me to shake it. But once I finally did, his wide grin said he was satisfied as he turned in his desk to wait for our professor.

Handshakes never really made much sense to me.

Father would always tell me that the shaking of hands between men was something not to be taken lightly. From what I could gather, an exchange of masculine value was held in that brief moment of passive aggression. The firm grip of another to display who they were as an individual, a first impression that was meant to last. He stressed how one should never present another with a "limp" offering, it should be strong and maybe even pain was expected. Naruto definitely didn't seem to be lacking in masculinity according to my fathers words. I could feel his conviction as if he might never let go.

But I felt as if mine was lacking.

Naruto's grip was confident. Strong as if he was trying to grind my bones beneath his own, borderline impudent. My own grip paling in comparison to this walking mass of agro, all the while, he smiled at me as if the passive violence meant friendship in the future.

And maybe it did. Though it still doesn't much make sense to me regardless. I felt suddenly _very_ insecure when I found myself rubbing my hand after the encounter.

The experience itself was a bit alien and it seemed strange to have someone who wasn't family so unapologetically close to me when there were so many seats still left open. Granted there wasn't a lot of places for the both of them to sit and still be next to one another but still.

 _'Exhibit A why I'm here I suppose. Where the Hell is our teacher anyway? It's damn near 9 and the cut of for late teachers is in about 2 minutes.'_

I took the time to take in the appearance of the brothers, it's safe to say I never saw any of my father's or sibling's associates dressed so... loudly?

Naruto's hair was a vibrant blonde that did everything to clash with the orange KU hoodie and torn white jeans he wore. Menma's colors weren't as vivacious but the contrast of his black hoodie and dark hair really made the duo seem pretty humorous at second sight when they were so close to each other. They both, however, seemed to have the same piercing blue eyes, that seemed to do a lot of the talking for them when they spared each other a glance.

The door finally clicked one minute before the hour, I watched an older white haired man straggle in with a book in hand. Taking his time reaching his podium and marking his book with a thick, red bookmarker before addressing us.

"Sorry students seems I got lost on the path of life." His statement only earned him a few disgruntled groans from the class and some pretty confused scrutiny from myself. Many had just gotten ready to leave right as he walked in.

"As you know. Konoha Cultural Impact studies is a mandatory class in order to graduate from this fine establishment. I'll be your professor, Kakashi Hatake, and hopefully, this semester won't be too painful for either of us. So welcome freshmen through seniors, let's get started!

 _'Hmm, Hatake? Temari told me about this one. Always late and **painfully** nonchalant.'_

"Ah, Uzamaki. Uchiha. Nice of you to join me again." I looked over to see Menma give a curt nod, and down to see Sasuke doing the same from his middle seat.

 _'Failed the first time I'm assuming? I can't imagine this man being a hardass in the grading department.'_

The class went on for about ten minutes with no real interruption. Kakashi going on from the beginning of Konoha's discovery and their founding leaders. Only occasionally bothering to look up from his dull textbook to jot something down on the large whiteboard behind him. I did my best to stay engaged but it was honestly all boring shit I brushed up on before I even came to Konoha.

 _'I guess now is a good enough time as any.'_

I continued my bio's, adding Naruto and Menma to the list of names I'd have to learn more about. The former of which was knocked out cold, chin suspended on his right hand as he leaned dangerously low in his seat. The latter gave me an understanding look and sigh that said: "let him be." And asleep is how he remained, that is, until she walked in. And I swear I could feel my chest tighten. I don't think I've ever seen anything that made me lose my breath like that...

 **xXx**

A young girl stumbled into the classroom about halfway through the lecture via the back door unbeknownst to most of the room's occupants. Her hair reminded Gaara of the color of freshly popped bubble gum and he was sure it was just as thick, With a flow that came to her shoulders. He saw the Uzumaki brothers spare her a glance before returning they're attention to Kakashi's dull lecture. Naruto suddenly now more awake than he had been.

Her hair wasn't the only odd thing about her however. Vibrant green eyes offset against her uniquely pink hair. And the overall lightness of the colors popped out from their owner's pale skin. Skin that looked pale enough to have not seen the sun in years, but still somehow flawless, no bumps or scrapes, almost as if it could glow. Like heavy cream was drizzled thoughtfully over a delicate canvas.

"Who is that?" The words left his mouth in a whisper before he could reel them back in. Looking around to see who heard, he was disappointed to see that Naruto indeed caught his question.

"Who?" Naruto definitely looked at the same pink haired girl that Gaara did, in fact he was staring in her direction as she walked in front of them, not once taking his eyes off of her... but that didn't stop him from asking.

"That girl." He nodded in her direction.

Naruto feigned ignorance and instead nodded at the girl in front of Sakura.

"You mean Kin?" Kin was a fairly attractive girl that sat some rows ahead of the mystery girl. A long flow of black hair that covered her back.

"The one with the pink hair." Gaara was a bit frustrated. But honestly, who doesn't assume someone with pink hair of all colors?

"Yeah... that's who I thought you were talking about." Naruto's look was solemn as they watched the girl gracefully take an empty seat at the end of the row, a couple spaces in front of them. No one paid her any mind as she dug for her book and silently began to take notes. Kakashi didn't bother to stop speaking at the sudden intrusion and no one else really seemed to even acknowledge her existence. "Tell me. Besides the pink hair, what's she look like?"

"Do you not see her right there-"

"Just do it." The boy's face was serious for the first time since their meeting. His brow furrowing a little in anticipation.

"She's pale. Like porcelain. And her eyes... they're greener then they have any business being.

 _'Did I really just say that?'_

"What else?" Naruto was hungry for an answer, but it was Menma this time that spoke. He himself hadn't been staring the pinkette down, but instead was giving Gaara a doubtful look.

"She's... She's beautiful." Those words felt so right falling from his lips that he just kind of let it hang there.

Who were the brothers to judge anyway? They could clearly see that for themselves as well.

Menma have a slow nod, returning unatintively back to the front of the room. But Naruto. Naruto managed to pry his eyes from her to address Gaara.

"That's Sakura Haruno. And if you noticed her, all I have to say is be wary." His expression was a bit solemn, suddenly seeming very uncomfortable in his seat as his found the top of his pencil eraser as something worth ovcupying his time, chewing fidgetingly on its durable surface. "You know home school, you're kinda weird, aren't ya?" Naruto darted his attention back between Sakura and Gaara.

 _'Is this guy serious?'_

"I wouldn't say I'm the weird one right now. Seems kind of sudden that you'd say that just because I noticed a pretty-"

"She's kinda dead."

 _'Wait. What?'_

"Huh??... I don't think I heard you right. Dead?" Gaara leaned in closer to get a better listen, as did Naruto who was noticeably more quiet despite his character.

"Yup." Naruto proceeded to ball up a piece of paper, a bunch of first day nonsense that Kakashi has passed out earlier. He proceeded to ball up three pages or so and pitch it clean through the girl sitting in front of them and nailing a sleeping Shikamaru in the back of the head some rows down. The ball phased through her and fell unceremoniously on the floor after hitting the boy, and not in the sense of a ball bouncing off someone who was irrelevant. But quite literally flew through the girl as if she wasn't even there. "Dead. As. Fuck."

The result was a burning stare directed at Gaara as the girl named Sakura turned slowly in her chair, a thin, accusing, brow raised at him. When Gaara looked to his left, the blonde had portrayed a facade of sleep.

Gaara held up his hands in apology until she turned away.

"What the fuck are you **doing?!** " Gaara yelled, or rather harshly whispered as Naruto fell into a fit of laughter.

"Do I need to demonstrate again?" The blonde fought hard contain his laughter but no one in the class seemed to care.

"No! Just explain what the Hell just happened?"

Naruto's expression sobered up a little as he wiped a tear from his eye.

"I can't. She's dead, and no one else really seems to notice she's even here... Well except you."

"You expect me to believe that's a dead girl sitting in that chair?"

"Well you know what they say. Seeing is believing." Naruto's wide smile beamed at Gaara. "She comes to class late everyday. I've tried talking to her but she just kinda stares straight through me, I haven't gotten so much as a word out of her in a long time... Menma swears up and down I'm going fucking insane. But Thank God you see her too, at least now I know I'm not crazy. Right bro?"

Naruto nudged the boy on his left. Menma took a look at the girl and then over too Gaara.

"So you see her too?" He voice was calm as was his demeanor.

"Y-Yeah. I do."

 _'And I just saw a solid object soar through her like it was fucking nothing.'_

"Ah. Then, _not_ crazy it is."

"Yeah? Well I definitely think I might be." Gaara said. Suddenly less sure in his casual decision to attend uneversity.

The boys returned to their studies and Gaara found a new task in the form of the anxious nibbling attention he gave his fingernails. His gaze didn't stray far from the pink haired girl for the rest of class.

 **xXx**

Gaara raked at his brain for the next hour. He'd always been open minded, but the very notion of the supernatural seemed to frighten him in ways he didn't quite understand. And worst than that, it raised so many questions.

 _'Who was she really?'_

 _'Is she really dead?'_

 _'If she is, then how did she die?'_

So many fucking questions. The idea of a ghost in general was the biggest anomaly. He needed to know why she was here, because what tragedy could snag a soul from its eternal rest to keep them on this world?

 _'No not a tragedy. A miracle. She must have been given a second chance right? It has to be a miracle.'_

"Hey bud, you ok?" Naruto asked.

But he might have had better lucking talking to the wall.

Gaara was consumed by his thoughts, swallowed by the ocean of his questions and drowning out everything else as he waded in it's wake.

 _'I know she's real. I saw what happened with my own damn eyes.'_

The thud of the door jarred him out of his thoughts for a moment. He looked up to realize everyone had already left the classroom. Everyone except her. The soft tap of her shoes made their way to his desk, all the while her green orbs traced circles around his frightened form.

Her presence alone, Gaara noted, challenged everything he knew.

This walking miracle first made a mockery of science. He could see now that her chest didn't bother heaving for air. The valley of her bust, still and barren of life. Where as he could hear every pounding beat of his own heart and the quickening pace of his breaths as he opened up his mouth to keep from hyperventilating.

Death was walking his way. Death was approaching him and even his new friends where nowhere to be seen.

Second, this walking tragedy made quick work of logic as her light touch made contact with the ground, an ethereal stroll that somehow still made gentle pats against tile as she glided calmly towards him. So much calm in so much unrest, the literal walking dead. He wondered how he managed to hear those taps over the race track pace of his thoughts.

And perhaps most importantly was how complex she made Gaara's own reality seem, with just three simple words.

"Hello. I'm Sakura." She gave a small wave at the staring boy.

 _'This is it.'_

"It wasn't very nice of you to be throwing things at me like that in the middle of class..."

"I-" He thought for a moment about telling on Naruto, but that many words might not actually make it out of his mouth at the moment. "I-I'm sorry." He offered no other words but couldn't keep his mouth from tumbling open a bit at the site of her.

"Quiet I see?" Sakura extended her hand to him, and once again Gaara was faced with an alien of a concept. "What's your name?"

The rush of insecurity from so blatantly showing who you are to someone bolted through him once more. But he couldn't.

No. He wouldn't pass up an opportunity like this.

Gaara took her hand in his and he began to understand some of Naruto's impudennce. How some things can change a simple grip into a white knuckle hold. She was real. He knew now how that moment of passive violence might help anchor this experience into memory. Holding her hand there firmly in his, he could now understand that feeling of this moments fleeting existence, and he didn't want to let go.

And right then he decided he was going to find out just why Sakura Haruno had yet to let go of this world.

"I'm Gaara. It's nice to meet you."

 **End Chapter One**

 **Drabbles: If you've read "Wetwork" you know I enjoy writing the relationship between Gaara and Naruto as friends. But I feel like that's a little harder when you consider writting Gaara in a more serious atmosphere. That being said, if anyone would like to beta this, pm me, it'd be nice to be on the receiving end of criticism to keep this story as in character as possible.**


	2. Chapter 2

The initial greeting had been easy. Asking her for little of her time? A piece of cake. But this, this seemed to be the hardest part of all for Gaara.

Casual conversation.

And now words flowed back and forth between parties and Gaara wasn't entirely sure how he was having a conversation with someone who didn't quite exist. He kept telling him himself this until he realized he was mesmerized by the ghost of words past, leaving such delicate, fleeting words on her lips as she spoke.

That girl is dead and he knows this.

"I'm not sure what you mean?"

"I mean, you're not real. Are you?" Gaara asked once more.

"Of course I am. See?" Sakura proceeded to take a long drink of the iced coffee Gaara had bought for her. "Ouch! The brain freeze is real too." She said, placing the warmth of her tongue against the roof of her mouth.

The two had found themselves talking in a cafe on campus for the last hour, about school, family and other such introductory topics. Each other genuinely curious about the origin of the other. And within that hour Gaara had discovered that Sakura was 20, an only child, partial to chocolate, her favorite color was atypically grey(probably the farthest from her pink hair besides black). He more observantly learned that her smile was addictive like sweet coffee, and her seafoam green eyes were mesmerizing when light from the sun's rays bounced against them ever so casually. Gaara even learned that he, a journalist, could be lost for words when the combination of smile and emerald gaze were combined so frequently together. He learned this all without questions.

But Gaara's latest question seemed to bring an odd impasse in their conversation.

She giggled at the notion of her life's credibility. "Should I take that as your attempt at flirting Gaara? That maybe I'm _'too good to be real?'_ I'm not sure I know your taste just yet but that's a bit cheesy, no?" Her tone was light hearted as she raised a light brow at him.

Gaara was certain that something was off with the girl. He knew with everything that he had that the girl sitting across from him couldn't possibly be 100% bound to this earth. As certain as he was that the sky was blue or of how grey was dull.

"Hah! Someone's certainly confident in themselves." He said as he worked on sipping his own black coffee. Then the thought occurred to him. Sitting there watching a rosy cheeked smile he wondered perhaps if the sky is only blue because the ocean wishes it to be, and odd thought yes, but he found himself wondering if Sakura found grey enticing, who was he to say it wasn't?

Who was he to say she wasn't? Living that is.

A light thunder shook outside as impending storm clouds began to engulf the campus sky. The slow pitter-patter of rain melded against their window-

side view. Great clouds of sullen grey evicted the previously blue sky of its color.

 _'Maybe the sky is grey when it wants to be.'_

"I really should be going." Sakura said as she looked at the light drizzle of rain tapping against the closed window. "I'll chalk up your unique question to silly journalist talk. Ask me again tomorrow and who knows." She shrugged her shoulders with a parting smile, standing up to leave. "I might just have an answer for you."

"Of course. It was a pleasure speaking with you Miss Haruno. Mind if we do this again sometime? It'd be nice if someone... could show me around."

He's not entirely sure we're this courage was coming from, but the energy she radiates made him want to be in her presence no matter the challenge.

Sakura tilted her head in consideration. Placing A loose hold around the redhead's shoulders in answer. "Smooth for a cheesy homeschool kid. I suppose I wouldn't mind though."

 _'Maybe I was just seeing things.'_

But then Gaara took a moment to reflect on her retreating form. Doubt pushed its way out his mind when she opened the front door. Or rather, when someone else opened the door to the little cafe at the exact same time, a stranger walked in at precisely the same moment she exited. Somehow, their bodies did anything but collide. The sway of her hips did nothing to hinder the path of the man in front of her. Her righteous pink hair did nothing to catch his gaze. Seafoam green eyes did little to distract him from such a mundane task as walking through a door.

She phased through him on her venture as if the man didn't even exist. And just like that, she was gone. She's a ghost, and deep down, he knows this.

 _'Don't be thick Gaara. The girl's dead.'_

"Or I'm going fucking crazy."

xXx

The walk home was an uneventful one. The sky had long been over saturated with heavy clouds but the only thing that came down was the occasional drop that attempted to offend Gaara's thick hair with little success.

"Hey bro!" Gaara was rushed by a wave of blonde energy as Naruto ran up to him, patting him hard on the shoulder. "You look pretty happy to be walking in the rain."

"Oh... Hey Naruto." The redhead was still consumed in his internal struggle, that is until something dawned on him.

 _'Maybe he knows more.'_

"Where'd you disappear to? After class I mean. I must have dozed off, but I figured you would've said something before you left? When I looked up it was just me and ghost girl."

"Haha, ghost girl? I like it." Naruto fell in stride next to his new acquaintance. "Menma was in a hurry to get some food so we left pretty soon after the bell. I tried getting your attention, but I guess finding out the dead still walk the earth kinda takes a minute to process huh?"

"Yeah... to say the least." Gaara shoved his hands into his pockets and tilted his head down to keep out as much of the drizzle as possible. "How are you so _ok_ with this anyway" The level of calm and lack of tact Naruto took at the subject was baffling to the redhead. It's not common for one to talk about such subjects like they're commonplace.

Death was a topic Gaara was sure he could approach carefully if need be, but this? How the Hell does he even touch something like _ghost?_

"Took time I suppose." Naruto's face remained cheery as he strolled alongside him, his full grin unaffected by the dim weather as he soaked in the rain with his wide swinger walk. "I've known her since we were kids, but she's only been dead maybe a year."

"Can I..." Gaara paused as they found themselves outside his dorm building, an impatient Naruto hanging onto his impending question so he could continue his stroll. "I mean. Could you tell me what happened? Why she's still here I mean."

"Maybe, if I can. Last year sort of all blends together. I remember the doctor declaring her dead in the hospital." Naruto shifted uncomfortably under Gaara's sympathetic gaze. "Then the next thing I know I'm at her funeral, watching behind the crowd as they put her in the ground. There was a whole few days I guess I just wanted to push out of my mind ya know?"

"I think I understand-"

"And that bastard Sasuke didn't even show up. Would've broken her heart if she knew."

"Sasuke? What does he have to do with her?"

Naruto started to walk off again before Gaara could muster more questions. "People are ghost for a reason. But that's a story for another day Red, I'll catch you later." Naruto threw a peace sign over his shoulder as he disappeared around the nearest corner."

xXx

He couldn't shake today's events out of my head. A new school filled with strange people and a slight ghost problem.

A bit extreme for a first day.

Gaara shifted through the crowded, boxed in area of his dorm room as he carefully sorted out his many belongings to occupy his hands. The big pile of junk He'd brought from Suna mostly held things of sentimental value. Drabbles, newspaper articles, stuff that wouldn't really mean much as his writing talent continued to evolve with each passing year.

"I really should've left some of this crap at home." Gaara mumbled as he shifted stuff grumpily about his limited living space.

Besides the occasional tossed note, the process was smooth and by ten he was almost finished entirely putting away his effects. He found himself wondering if perhaps Sakura was stuck in a cycle like this? Living out mundane task day after day. Or how she lived after she'd vanished from the sight of the few that could see her.

A buzzing cellphone caught him off guard. The unknown number even more so.

 **Unknown:** _hey man, I'd be careful snooping around that girl._

Gaara looked at his phone in confusion before turning swiftly around in his small one bed dorm to give it the same quizzical once over.

 **Gaara:** _... who's this?_

The unknown number took some time to reply. Giving Gaara the opportunity to shut his blinds and situate himself comfortably in bed.

 **Unknown:** Just stay away from her. If you have any questions, you should just ask Uzumaki, or better yet, that d bag Uchiha.

 _'Alright, who the hell is this guy? Do they know about Sakura too?'_

 **Gaara** : Hey listen, idk who you're talking about. But you got the wrong number.

His phone fell quiet for a long time and Gaara thought perhaps they did have the wrong number. He drifted in and out of sleep for a few moments before a final message left his heart pounding against his chest.

 **Unknown:** the girl u watched get a fucking brain freeze in that cafe. If you want to play detective, idc, just don't ask her anything if you value your life.

"What. The. Fuck?"

Gaara tucked his phone away under his pillow in denial. Threats like that don't just happen out of nowhere and there's no reason someone should be out to get him just for talking to a pretty girl.

Right?

He had to leave. His hands fumbled as he began packing together a change of clothes and enough stuff to get through a couple of days. A threat had just been put on his life so he should obviously go home, maybe even tell the police, anything was better than just sitting still.

But his hands stilled as he reached for the door. His retreat stopped as he thought back on what a certain blonde had said.

"People are ghost for a reason." Naruto had said.

 _' And I have to know why.'_

"Get it together Gaara... that's what you're here for." Gaara slapped himself a little to dissipate his shock.

With his mind clear his gears began to wind at the possibilities of it all. His first thoughts landing on the factor he knew the least about.

Sasuke.

What kind of monster he must've been to leave a girls heart so broken as to roam the world even in death. Maybe he found joy in tearing her heart to pieces. Surely he found celebration in each shredded piece of her because what was left was joyous to look at, if you asked Gaara, it was down right beautiful. She didn't quite present like pale pieces on the ground but more like confetti. Tiny pieces of loaded heart spread thinly over this world and the next.

Reach for it and you were sure to pick up a piece of her.

 _'But what piece could possibly be keeping her here?'_ He found himself wandering as he plopped down hard to his bed. Open eyes burning with questions for his ceiling.

Sakura Haruno is Dead, and he knows this. What he didn't know, was how he was going to prove it.

 **A/N: Damn, why didn't anyone tell me I had so many typos?? xD**

 **Also**

 _'Indicates someone's thoughts'_


	3. Chapter 3

"Let's talk."

"About? No offense but you seem a lot more serious all of a sudden... not sure I'm a fan."

Sakura fidgeted carefully under Gaara's gaze In the very same cafe as the day before. To be honest he wasn't exactly sure **how** he'd met up with her again.

Some things were certain though.

For one, he was fairly _certain_ that he wasn't able to set this meeting up. For God's sake, a dead girl probably doesn't have a phone right? The second thing was that he was 100 percent sure he didn't remember coming here. He'd gone to bed last night a bit flustered by a rather specific warning to stay away from the girl in question, but when he awoke the next thing he remembered doing was bringing coffee back to the table for the two of them. And thirdly, but easily the most important was that none of this seemed to cause him any panic as he took in the sight of her.

"S-sorry." Gaara quickly noticed his mistake and mellowed out his stern gaze. "Late night, last night."

"Late night huh? Already got a girlfriend I should _worry_ about?"

xXx

 _'Is she flirting? With me?'_

Some wishful thinking that ran through my mind as my jade eyes sank between the power of her seafoam. I'm sure I could drown in them if she let me. The way her lips curved into a smile, pushing ever so gently at the borders of her eyes and I can't help imagine that this is what clouds must feel like. Thin layers of pale doing the best they can to cover up so much-

"Gaara."

"Hm?"

 _'Damn did I space out?!'_

"You're staring dear." Her smile has suddenly dropped and her words were playful just like her light-hearted teasing just moments ago.

She'd caught me.

She'd caught me and my mouth was hanging open like an idiot.

"Nooo, it's not like that-"

"I must say Gaara." I could feel myself gulp as she paused between words, her voice unreliable. "It is at least nice to have someone staring at my eyes of all things. See something you like, Home School?" She said, back yet again with the teasing.

There's she goes again, more nicknames. But regardless I let out a deep breath I didn't know I was holding.

xXx

"Must you insist on calling me Homeschool?" He did his best to deject my question, his voice was slightly more confident and his face bares a cheesy little grin. But I know this game all to well. He's nervous. His lip has a slight quiver, he's beginning to sweat and it's hard for him to keeps his eyes on mine now. Oh so nervous. It's almost-

"Adorable."

"Excuse me?" Gaara's demeanor shifted from nervous to confused at the words I just non-purposely uttered.

"I was just thinking about how nervous you are just because of little ol'me. It's kinda adorable."

 _'Why am I saying all this?'_

xXx

"T-thank you-"

"What's your major Gaara?" Sakura interrupted him rather bluntly.

"Huh?" Gaara was pretty off put by her sudden question.

"You know the reason you're in school silly."

"O-oh! I'm here to get a degree in journalism... it's what I've wanted to be since I was a little kid."

"A journalist huh? So am I your first big interview?" Sakura framed her face with her hands. "The pale girl with natural pink hair?"

"That's natural?!"

"Of course it is. Did you think I was _that_ weird to dye it pink?"

Gaara couldn't help the chuckle that left him.

"Maaaybe just a little bit." He punctuated by holding his index finger and thumb close together.

He found the irritated furrow of her brow rather cute.

"Jerk..."

"That's a new one for me, I thought I was the nice guy. So." Gaara stirred the straw in his coffee routinely. "What's your major?"

"English. Writing stories is something I love doing."

He could tell from just speaking with her that she was a bit of an extrovert. Her words flowed so easily and everything she said just seemed to be so genuine. So naturally, It wasn't very off-putting to see she wanted to master the English language.

"What a pair we are then. You, harboring creativity, and me with the boring nonfiction." He said with a casual tone.

"It's funny you say that because I always thought my writing interest was pretty boring." She said with a shrug of the shoulders. "Terror novels don't seem to grab everyone's attention."

"Terror? Don't you mean horror?"

"Haha, no no no. Terror and horror are two different things." She said. "Common misconception."

 _'Interesting.'_

Gaara's confused expression begged for some kind of explanation. She picked up the hint easily enough.

"You see, Terror is kinda like." She mulled over her thoughts as she bit timidly at her nails. "Terror is kinda like a little white lie. It's what's told to cover something up. Give you a false feeling of fear for whatever reason." Gaara's blank look still betrayed confusion so she steadied on. "Terror is that feeling you get when you hear something in your house at night when you're all alone. The anticipation of something...horrible. A shiver in your spine when you think something might be creeping up the stairs towards your room. The thing under your bed, or maybe that shadow over your shoulder. It's interesting stuff really." Despite the serious tone her voice took, Sakura's smile was still present. "I think that kind of suspense is hard to capture."

He felt his own shiver run down his spine as he he listened to the cool edge of her voice explain something so daunting.

 _'Her being the scary type wasn't exactly my first thought.'_

"I suppose that makes sense... so then what's horror?"

"Oh, that's much more simple. The truth. The feeling of fear as it's, ya know, happening."

After receiving his mysterious text message, Gaara moved forward with a new found motivation. There was a story to be told here, and he wanted all the answers. So maybe there were some boundaries to be pushed.

"Speaking of the _truth_." A pause." I heard you were with Sasuke?" He said in hopes of diverting the subject to something hopefully more lighthearted.

"HAH! Who put you up to that vicious rumor? Naruto?" Sakura was all smiles but the hurt in her voice was painfully evident. "I tried chasing that jerk since we were kids..."

 _'She mentioned Naruto? That's new..'_

"No not him, just some rumors around the class. So it's not true then?" He secretly hoped it wasn't. But if there was no truth to the statement, then why had Naruto bothered to mention it?

Sakura leaned across the table. Her voiced hushed as she looked dramatically around the little cafe. "Wanna know a _secret_?" Gaara could only nod his head yes. "Well come here!" Her voice was filled with excitement as she almost mistakenly exceeded a whisper. Playfully gesturing Gaara closer with her index finger. She pulled a pen from her pants pocket and quickly began to jot down a few words on the napkin in front of her.

He could feel her breath on his ear as he nervously leaned in. It was oddly cold against his cheek.

"I wouldn't be on a second date with the new guy if I had a boyfriend already now would I?" She said, slipping the note in front of him.

"D-date?" Gaara wasn't aware he could stutter until he felt the heat begin to flood into his cheeks. His eyes immediatelyIs found the table and words less than intelligible spewed out of his mouth.

"I-it's not like that. I'm just trying to make friends-"

However, his bold faced lie only met his own ears, because when he looked up she was gone. No trace of the girl he was just speaking to, nor the coffee she sipped, or even the chair she sat in.

Just Gaara left alone with his thoughts, a view of the dreary campus, and the note that seemed to have an address scribbled on it.

 _'6352 Crane street, Konoha?'_

 **xXx**

Gaara lazed through class after class. His freshman schedule was more or less "stacked" to make room for his goals. A pretty easy schedule under most standards that would leave more than enough time to write. Something he hasn't been doing since his first day.

The first few days were proving to be tiresome.

"Mr. Sabaku. Does there seem to be a problem?" Kakashi questioned lazily, a thick stick of chalk in his hand as he paused to observe Gaara's odd behavior.

"...No, sir. Would you mind excusing me for a moment?"

"Do as you feel. Just don't find yourself sleeping again." He said rather ironically, paying no attention to the sleeping Nara in the front row. "You'd be wise to wake up."

 _'Wake up?... Had I been sleeping?'_

Gaara found himself in the bathroom moments later. Copious amounts of water splashing against his face in hopes of snapping him out of his stupor.

He'd been doing it again.

He woke up in class and he wasn't at all aware of anything he'd been doing prior. Just like when he found himself in that café.

"What's going on with you?" He asked himself quietly. Looking at his dripping face in the mirror. His eyes told him whatever it was he'd been doing, not much sleep was involved. "Where the hell have you been-"

" **Hey!** I'm talking to you!"

A loud thud could be heard as Gaara fell to the ground at the sudden voice. The redhead scrambled to turn and see black hair and aggravated blue eyes.

"Menma? Jesus Christ don't scare me like that." Gaara held a hand to his chest in an attempt to gain his breath back. His book bag had fallen unceremoniously on the ground.

Menma bore the same cold look he had when they'd met. His new classmate gave him a hand from his embarrassing position on the ground.

 _'How long had he been yelling at me?'_

"Are you alright bro? Looks like college has been getting the best of you." His voice held an air of concern Gaara couldn't entirely say he was all to familiar with.

"What do you mean-" Gaara halted his question as he dusted himself off, looking down at himself he noticed what he meant. He'd lost an alarming amount of weight. His black KU tank top hugged his abdomen a little looser then he'd wanted it too and the shorts around his waist seemed to have trouble staying on his frame.

 _'Why the hell am I wearing a tank top in fall-'_

"And I know we look a lot alike man, but come on. Me and my brother have completely different colored hair." The laugh that came from the boy startled him a bit.

 _'Come to think of it, they even sounded a bit different.'_ Menma voice had been so gruff, yet the boy he talked to now was a much more energetic and raspy tone. The long locks falling down in front his eyes were definitely blonde.

 _'Blonde?...'_

"Y-Yeah. Sorry. Just adjusting still is all." The confused boy said with a fake chuckle.

"How long do you think you'll be 'adjusting'? It's been forever already."

"...What the hell are you talking about?"

Gaara didn't mean for his question to be so blunt but his question was a bit out of line. A few days in a new city far away from home wasn't enough to adjust under any means.

"Gaara you passed your holiday midterms with some pretty great grades and summer is _right_ around the corner. Haha don't you think it's time to-"

"Summer?"

Naruto stopped his speel to reiterate what he'd already said.

"… Yeah bro, that's typically what comes after spring-"

Naruto kept talking but it sounded more like white noise. A static of sorts that filled Gaara's head as he focused on that one _particular_ piece of information.

 _'It's… it's spring? I got here in August. School started in August. I was wearing a hoodie and gloves because Konoha is already freezing in fucking **August**!'_

His chest began to rise spastically in an attempted calm himself down, the thudding of his heart much like the repetition of the same thought-

 _'Get out. Get out. **Get out.** '_

Over and over again.

"I- I got to go. Tell Menma I said hey, I'll see you later. " Gaara interrupted, making a bee line for the door. The boy left in such a hurry that he didn't really notice the absence of his bag.

"Yeah man." The other boy said, picking up the forgotten back pack. Pulling out the bags only item, a small, blank, napkin. "We'll be seeing you around."

xXx

 **AN: Yeahhh that took forever didn't if? Sorry about that. Me and my muse had some issues we needed to work out. But any way!**

 **What are your thoughts on Gaara's predicament? Crazy theories? Characters you want to see? Leave a review and let me know.**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Big attention! I highly recommend going back and reading the first couple chapters. A lOT of re-work and additional detail was added.(Not anything specifically story changing, but it helps better explain the story.) I also fixed a ton of typos.**

 **But anyway, enjoy.**

 **xXx**

Gaara is getting his first tattoo.

And I promise it's more of milestone than it sounds, because it's his own hands that guide the needle.

Of course an inexperienced artist probably shouldn't begin practice with themselves. But a first for decorating the body in ink, as well as being the one to do it, seemed fitting. Bringing a needle so close to skin, to stab and repeat. As consistent as this new scar would be. He'd never done this before, and he'd never planned on doing it again.Tattoos were too permanent for his taste, but everything else in his life seemed so fleeting. Like the shock he felt when he realized he'd lost actual _months_ of his life in a split second of bliss. Drowned deep in Sakura's trance.

He'd been on his way to find her moments ago, but then he realized he wasn't quite sure where to start. So instead he started with himself. He couldn't find the strength to hate himself for being so uncontrollably ignorant, so he decided to love himself instead. The only consistent thing in his life.

He's not exactly sure how he ended up in front of his bathroom mirror, and even more unsure how he'd gotten the tattoo gun in the first place. But all of that didn't much matter right now. The kanji for love would adorn his head like a constant reminder. Not of love for himself in particularly. But perhaps of the love it might take, and the lengths you must go to love yourself. If maybe one day he looked in the mirror and lost his will, there's a constant reminder looking back at him to keep the love for life, his life, intact.

And should he forget months of his life again?... The self written message wasn't going anywhere. This was the kind of anchor he needed. You can say what you want about tattoos, scars even, but at least they don't leave.

The real irony being that he seemed to be leaving himself oh so often lately.

 **xXx**

"Well that's new." Sakura laid a feathered touch to Gaara's forehead and he instinctively winced away in pain.

"Holy…" she held a hand over her mouth in shock. "That's real?!"

"Yeah… I guess it is."

When he spoke, the gentle crease of his forehead reminded him of the fresh pain he'd just endured. But more importantly he realized, he was here again. Face to face with what he could only assume had been causing his mental torment. One minute he'd been cringing in no small amount of agony as he jabbed into his own flesh and the next he was back at the café. Smiling at her the way only she could make him do.

The contrast was maddening, but still, he smiled.

"It was kind of an impulse sort of thing." The decision seemed dramatic now that he thought about it. He couldn't seem to remember what had him so worked up in the first place? In this very moment everything seemed fine. Whatever catastrophic trigger of the anxiety he felt minutes (or he supposed hours) ago, seemed to dissipate.

"Oh don't worry." Sakura got up to leave her side of the table, instead moving next to him in the cramped booth seat. Her arm cradled around his and she could feel him stiffen and melt into her all at the same time. "I like my boys with a little extra _personality._ " A kiss on his cheek followed her ever steadily increasing attention.

 _'When did we?...'_

"You mean you don't mind?" A face tattoo was pretty major by any means, and his little self project wasn't exactly modest in size. So Sakura's quick expectance of his change was a bit unexpected.

 _'When did we get so close ?'_

"Gaara…" She leaned in to kiss him once more, but instead teased the edge of her lips just beneath the ear. "I have pink hair, I'm paler than cream, and would you just _look_ at these?" Sakura's gaze bolted down at her own chest as she did her best to wedge Gaara' s arm in-between were her cleavage would be.

If she had any.

"I mean honestly They're perky and all, but they're so tiny! But hey." Her eyes met his again and she could feel the heat radiating off of him as his eyes tried to dart any and everywhere else. "I'm still enough to make you blush. So please, as long as your happy. _I'm_ happy. Yeah?"

"Yeah…"

It was strange feeling that settled on the boy. With the mess of emotions and blending experiences, Gaara was glad to find there were little plots in his daily madness that had obviously been soothed by Sakura, bringing them to this very comfortable position.

Sakura used her free hand to trace crescent like swirls on his chest. "You seem a little stressed today." She said solemnly, frowning as her hand glided to his abdomen and continued her soothing pattern there." And you're getting so skinny! You need to eat more." He turned to see the pout on her face and knew better than to argue.

"Yes _ma'm_."

The smooth touch turned into a sharp jab at his shoulder. "Don't sass me!"

The laugh they shared was short, but it felt genuine. The way everything seemed to be feeling today. His laugh felt real, and instead of ethereal, she _looked_ real. And perhaps most importantly, this _felt_ real.

An anxiety ridden teenage author and what he could only understand to be a pink-haired ghost, were cuddled up together in a cafè booth having coffee together.

And maybe that's not as strange as it sounds.

Gaara found himself easing into her touch. It'd surprised him at first, but something about feeling her there reminded him that Sakura wasn't just some delusion. And that the riot of pink right next to him was there to stay. He can't really recall when their bond became this… comfortable. But a feeling deep inside him told him not to pursue that topic.

To maybe **never** pursue that topic.

 _'Just live in the now Gaara.'_

It made him smile. Even if he couldn't remember much of how it developed. It felt right, and he supposed that's all that really mattered.

"Does your new tattooing _'hobby'_ mean you're going to ditch me again?"

Odd that yesterday was the only day he'd actually remembered in completion. The only day he assumed that he hadn't seen her in a very long time. Probably since school started.

He tried not to think about that.

It's important to note that Gaara hadn't been looking at her. His head rested back comfortably against the booth wall, eyes fluttering open and shut as he found peace in the moment. But when she posed that question he could _feel_ the venom in it. He dared to look over at her again while a shiver ran down his spine. He could feel the grip around his arm squeeze a bit demandingly, and the heat of her touch drop ever so lightly. A beauty spoke but he could swear he felt frost next to him.

But when he turned to face her, he only saw a warm smile just short of _dripping_ with sweetness.

"I'll see you after class." He gulped down the fear and put on a smile.

"Promise?" There it was again, that feeling of something dreadful lived in her words.

"Promise."

"Here." Sakura folded a small note in her hands and shoved it into his pants pocket. "Same place. Be there."

She pulled his face close to hers, the cool of her hands on the base of his neck did nothing to soothe the heat rising up from his core and into his face at the closeness of her. She closed her eyes and rested her forehead against the still bare part of his and he felt himself begin to cool.

She was so close and so very still.

With each breath Gaara took he could see the subtle movement of her hair as it made way for him. With each breath she pulled in closer, not seeming to care who saw as she climbed gracefully onto his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck, his own hands finding their way to her hips to help her up.

And with each breath. Gaara became increasingly aware, of the lack of Sakura's.

xXx

"Nice of you to join us Mr. Sabaku."

"Sorry sir, I know I'm running a bit late." Gaara stumbled in rather late, having lost track of time with the pinkette at the café.

"Hm." Kakashi gave him a once over and returned to his board.

Gaara traced the room for his normal classmates but only found Menma in the rear of the classroom. He took his seat and tried to look engaged as he fished through his bag for his computer.

"Where's your brother?" He whispered, finding his computer and pulling up his notes from classes prior. To his assumption, they were there. Typed out hastily in his own style of shorthand, though he couldn't really recall taking them.

"What am I? His keeper?" The boy groaned.

"Well someone's grumpy."

"Nah, someone just pissed me off." Menma bothered to sit up straight considering someone was actually addressing him. A small scowl mirroring his current feelings.

Gaara raised a hairless brow at the boy. Sure he came off as a bit rude, but Gaara hadn't imagined him to be the type to be easily frustrated by anybody. Or any thing for that matter.

"Who-"

"Mr. Sabaku. I understand this is your world, and we all just happen to be _living_ in it, but please. May I continue teaching my class?" The question hung in there air a lot more coldly the Gaara thought possible. Kakashi didn't seem like the disciplinary type, his painfully carefree attitude indicative of that.

"Sorry sir. It won't happen again." Gaara promptly took his seat next to Menma, who seemed to be unfazed by Gaara's abrupt embarrassment.

A scoff could be heard from the front row as a very amused looking Sasuke turned back around in his seat to pay attention to Kakashi's dull lecture. And he couldn't help but notice the scattered stares of a few of his classmates as they too gave him a lingering look.

"People are going to look at you a little funny when you go tatting up your face ya know." Menma grumbled out more as a statement than a question.

"Not like its any of their fucking business."

Gaara was irritated. That emotion was a bit foreign to him, but he'd never really been one to play nice when outed by others and the heat was beginning to burn beneath the skin. He could feel his brow crease as he starred daggers around the lecture room. First at anyone whose gaze still wandered his way, and then at Kakashi. Since when did he care?

 _'And then there's that cocky prick Uchiha.'_

He dared to laugh at him? When he'd never even met the guy?

"I'll show him."

"Hm?" Menma jolted awake at the sudden words of Gaara. Who had up until now had been stewing silently in his chair, the fierce tap of his pen being the only thing to indicate he was even alert.

"He said he'll show em, Menma. I know Kakashi is a bore, but try to stay awake for once..." A voice from Gaara's right said.

" Naruto? When'd you get here?" Gaara questioned. He himself had only made it with thirty minutes left of class, it'd bare no benefit for Naruto to come in even later.

"What do you mean _get_ here? We we're just talking before Kakashi put you on blast."

Gaara turned back to his left to find the black haired boy absent. But before he could address it, his text tone started blaring. A theme of triplet digital sounds playing three times in succession. The particularly quiet class turned once more to look in Gaara's direction, the source of the noise.

"God damnit!" Gaara bit out, cursing under his breath as he scrambled to silence his phone.

" _Ahem._ "

Kakashi folded his arms to stare down Gaara once more in front of the class.

"Kindly exit my class for the day Mr. Sabaku. You're clearly to busy too busy to be absorbed in any information I have to-"

The school bell rang before Kakashi could continue, the older man let out a deep sigh as the class started to completely empty in seconds.

"Fine. Everyone leave I suppose." Kakashi slumped his chair, cradling his hand in one hand to soothe a growing headache. Gaara took the distraction for all it was worth and bolted out of the room with everyone else. Frantically fishing for his phone on the way out. His body felt fatigued by the mistreatment of that past few months, the weight of his book bag proved to be too much as he stopped in the courtyard, baring against a cement wall to catch his breath. He finally found his phone in the front pocket of his bag.

But his labored breaths only hastened as he was finally able to check the messages he'd received.

 **Unknown:** I thought I told you not to question her. Now look at you, wasting away. Pathetic.

 _'How does he know what I've been up too?'_

Another text came through before Gaara could even decide what to respond.

 **Unknown:** Thay anger you're feeling inside? It's all your fault. Should've talked to Sasuke like I told you too.

Gaara's hands grew cold. The grip on his bag had turned stark white and before he knew he'd tossed it at the glass display case across from him, a high pitched smack caught the attention of a few passing students, but most tallied the outburst up to be a common fit of college stress.

"I don't even know what I've been up too!" Gaara was seething. He made to punch into the glass with clenched fist but an arm yanked him back.

"Hey, freak! What the fuck are you doing to my school?" A rough hand turned him around to face the offending voice.

"What's it to you?!- oh.." Gaara's trembling stilled. He looked into the eyes of Sasuke Uchiha and he noticed the supercilious grin on his disgustingly suave face.

"Forgotten our manners now have we, Homeschool?" Sasuke pushed Gaara with no small amount of force. Causing the smaller boys head to bang against the glass. A sickening crunch accompanied Gaara's yell of pain as blood rushed down the back of his skull.

"Awh, gross! Now you've gone and got your filthy blood all over my grandfathers memory!"

The case in question was one of many around the school. A collective memorial of some of schools finer accomplishments. Sports trophies, artwork of the schools many gifted alumni, and in the center of each glass casing laid a picture of the schools founding fathers.

Hashirama Senju, and the late Great Grandfather of Sasuke Uchiha. Madaara Uchiha.Whose likeness currently had red splatter where his face should be. Gaara attempted to stand from the semi-collapsed display and was met with a stiff hand to his fresh tattoo, knocking him into the scattered glass.

"Agh!" Gaara clutched at his forehead only to find glass in his palm. As well as randomly scattered everywhere else from his fall.

" _'love'_ huh? What a fucking loser." The Uchiha began to walk off, throwing one more comment over his shoulder. "Clean this shit up, and get the hell out of my town homeschool. You're not welcome here…"

"Don't call me that." Gaara stood up with the assistance of his now one good hand. And Sasuke halted, certain that he'd heard the boy wrong.

"I'm sorry, what'd you just say to me?" His exit would have to wait, he turned on his heel and closed the gap between the two of them, two angered hands pulling the read headed _freak_ to eye level. The courtyard was empty. Gaara could feel the waves of loathing seeping from the Uchiha, but his own rage festered slowly in the knuckles of his fist and he felt each one crack as he matched the fiery stare Sasuke was trying to burn through his skull.

 _'This kind of anger is unbecoming of me…'_ He thought to early that day. And whom had actually made his day ten times better. The pink haired beauty that seemed to make everything better. And the _only_ one who was allowed to call him by that ridiculous nickname. He took a deep breath before he loosened his grip. He brought his hands calmly to Sasuke's and wrenched them from his collar with a swift jerk of Sasukes wrist in the inverted direction. Sasuke doubled back at the sharp sensation, cradling each hand under the pits of his arms.

"Ugh! You'll pay for that homeschool-"

"Only Sakura can call me that." Gaara busied himself by dusting himself off and picking at the shards of glass that had made their way into his left hand and forearm. "So I suggest you-"

Gaara was met with a heavy elbow to his abdomen. A dry heave produced nothing as the redhead gasped in pain and collapsed to the floor.

"H-how do you know her name?" Sasuke a expression had shifted from anger to desperation on command. He hoisted Gaara up to his knees and shook him for answers."Answer me! How the hell do you know that girls name?!"Sasuke wasn't sure why he'd been so triggered. In reality Gaara could've spoken of any girl named Sakura. But something told him to dig deeper.

So he continued to shake. His eyes wide and frantic with hysteria.

"Sakura Haruno. Is precious to me." Gaara's head was as bit dazed at the sudden lack of air, but he managed to gasp out an answer.

"Sakura Haruno huh?" Sasukes calm shock seemed to settle the frantic act as he released the boy. Standing up only to stare through Gaara rather than at him.

 _'Maybe I should ask him. This has already been a hell of a first impression as it is…'_ Gaara breathed slow and heavy as he pressed against his bruised abdomen in hopes of bringing his pain down. _'This asshole sure can hit.'_

"She was amazing, wasn't she-"

"Sakura Haruno. Was a lying. Manipulative. Whore. I don't know what kinda sick joke you think your pulling, but she's dead, and as far as I'm concerned?" Sasuke turned once more to leave. Shoving his throbbing hands into his jean pockets as he turned his back on Gaara. "She can rot in **Hell**. She'd eat naïve little bastards like you just to get my attention. What a waste of space."

Sasukes steps echoed like thunder. Thunder in the brewing storm that swelled beneath the skin of Gaara's raging hatred. He could feel himself dig his injured hand through the shattered display case and reach for something.

Anything.

His hand pulled back a dense, bronze miniature bust of Hoshirama Senju. He watched himself almost as if third person as his world turned red. Sasuke's limp form beneath him turned red as Gaara's flailing hands swung the weight of a bronze statue that quickly began to drip a darker red. And then almost as if all at once, the bloody world went black.

And then pink.

"Oh now look at what you've done dear. You've gone and made a mess."

Gaara tried to focus on his new environment. The rage he felt was still fresh as he instinctively made to swing once more, only to be stopped by an icy glare.

 _'When did I?...'_

Sakura's look portrayed disappointment and frustration. She occupied herself with calmly running a warm wet cloth against Gaara's face. No regard for the raised fist that had almost caved her face in.

"I mean honestly. Look at all this blood!" The cloth dabbed repeatedly against his neck. And then his chest…. And his arms and shoulders. The boy had been covered from the waist up in blood. "And for what? What exactly?! Some boy?" Sakura continued to dab away at the blood, some of it still fresh as dribbles ran down from his face, down his chin, and into the growing puddle beneath him.

"And _that_ boy of all people..."

He's sure her nagging persisted but Gaara spaced out to take in surroundings. Which happens to resemble any other dorm room he'd ever seen. Save the over all barren atmosphere, the complete lack of anything besides a desk lamp, a single chair that Sakura occupied, and the standard issue bed that Gaara found himself sitting on. His face pulled forward by a delicate, icy grip.

 _'This must be where I've been going everyday.'_

"But for what it's worth, I'm glad he's dead. And all over little ol' me? How sweet."

"W-what? How?" Gaara strained to remember his meeting with Sasuke, but all he could keep invision was the red blackout that transpired in its place.

But Sakura didn't have any intention of answering him anyway.

"Hush." Her lips found his before he could ramble anymore doubts and Gaara swore he could feel all the heat leave his body. Pouring out more and more as he matched the ferocity of her kiss. With each bite of his lip he could feel his body chill. Every lash of the tongue he could feel himself losing sensation in his body, starting at his toes and creeping it's way up to his chest cavity were his racing heartbeats almost crashed to a steady halt when her tongue wrapped itself around his and in between her moans he felt only pleasure in her ecstasy as his brain began to fog.

What a fine line between bliss and death.

xXx

 **Thanks for reading guys. Thoughts on what happened? Typos? Criticisms? Leave a comment and let me know.**

 **-Sober T**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: It's cool. I only rewrote this like 4 times to accommodate the following chapters. No biggie xD sorry my update schedule is trash.**

xXx

A wave of ecstasy took him over, he could feel again. Never had he felt so empty, yet so full at the same time. The satisfaction threatened to overfill him, climb the walls of his mouth and drip from his eyes. But nothing came out. Instead, a silent roar occupied the empty space of his throat. Followed by a choke as his failed attempts to breath resulted in him falling into a coughing fit.

He jumped with a start from his own bed, rushing quickly to his bathroom to try and drown that feeling with water. Guzzling down the stream from the faucet for ten seconds until he felt he could breath again. Drenched in sweat, he looked up into his bathroom image at the mess he'd become.

His hair was becoming long and tangled spilling down past his ears. The peach fuzz around his jaw had thickened to a manly, rust cover that hid the finer parts of his face, his waist had finally filled out to a normal size again, and then there was the tattoo.

It wasn't fresh anymore.

The fresh after day scab effect seemed to have been long since gone, the red kanji for love now harmonized well with his skin, it's raised effect gone and healed.

He stared at himself for a moment. Minutes went by as he scrutinized his appearance the way kids do strangers. He took his razor and some scissors and slowly began to sculpt himself out the stranger before him.

xXx

"It's a shame really, I thought the scruff was kinda sexy."

Sakura's attitude was as nonchalant as ever. A single finger feathered it's way along Gaara's now smooth jawline. She was sitting in her typical spot at the cafe, close to Gaara at his side with one arm wrapped under his.

"And dear did you really have to cut the hair? I'm hurt, truly-"

"What's..." Gaara's hands shook on the table. He looked down at them and expected them to stop.

But it's hard to control something that's not truly yours.

"What's happening to me?" He'd woken up here next to her again and he'd begun to think that may be a cause for fear rather than joy.

Sakura took both of his trembling hands in hers and Gaara could feel himself began to relax. Hot, white panics began to cool into a manageable anxiet, and in seconds, into almost nothing at all.

Like the calm you find after realizing it was just a nightmare.

"You're having lunch with your beautiful girlfriend silly." Sakura's attention switched to his hair that too had been hacked at with dull blades, careful fingers twisting his shortened red locks between them.

 _'Yeah. Just a nightmare...'_

"Right. And what day is it?"

"... Saturday dear."

"Right. Saturday." This had become familiar at least. Gaara has identified that something was amiss. Terribly wrong with perhaps his mind? This girl? It didn't really matter. He managed to live comfortably in between the gaps. Wake up. See himself. See her. Repeat.

In fact the last thing he remembered was being her with her. The last several times. It always made him happy. Always made him forget what he was trying to remember.

"Are you all right-" She started.

"How's Sasuke? Sasuke Uchiha?" He interrupted.

 _'Where'd that come from? And why the Hell do I even care?'_

"Hm." Sakura took a moment to visually scrutinize his odd behavior. "Very dead, last I checked. You should know, you went to his funeral."

 _'So then it wasn't just a nightmare'_ Gaara feared that was the case, but he was strangely at ease with it.

"Right... When was that again?"

"And hear I thought we were making some progress... seems your memory is still a bit shotty. But that manageable I suppose."

"Manageable?"

"It's been two months." You went with Naruto even though I begged you not too. I mean honestly. The nerve of you two." Sakura let out an exaggerated huff and turned away from him in the booth. "Wasting your time on-on... him?!"

"I'm going home. You'll meet me there, yeah?" She had a grit about her. Her demeanor was always fluffy, aloof. And frustrated at worse.

But never gritty.

"It's not like you to leave mad, Sakura."

"It's not as if you'd remember anyway... I'll see you tonight." Sakura kisses him on the forehead and rushed out before Gaara could shoot off one of the millions of questions on his mind.

But once again, he can't remember what it is he had to ask. It irked at his senses, hands running wild through his scalp just trying to _remember._ But ultimately, he gave up. And more importantly, there was an alien sensation going on in his pocket.

Gaara noticed his phone buzz and wondered how long it been since he consciously even checked the thing. He pulled out the small device to see a ton of messages from his family spanning some weeks back, he'd have to read those later. One this morning from Sakura. A few from Naruto. And one, right now from the same unknown number.

 **Unknown:** "Enjoy your nap?"

 **Gaara:** "You again. know what's happening to me, don't you?"

 **Unknown:** "I told you to stay away from her. Now look at you. Broken and crazy."

 **Gaara:**

"Who are you?"

 **Unknown:** "Scared?

 **Unknown:** "Ditch the ghost and come find out homeschool."

His mind flashed to the last unfortunate to poke fun at him. Provoke the beast inside. First the blood rush pumped through his veins as the thought of ending this stranger as hate tempted him. Gone they'd be in a fit of rage, just how Sasuke perished. Broken and unrecognizable beneath him. A week later, his casket sinking beneath him. The grief of a family losing one so young leaving them broken. This level of tragedy, unrecognizable. The entirety of the funerals attendance none the wiser of his sins.

He wish he could put a face to this stranger.

 _'He should really know what happened to the last guy that called me that.'_ Gaara thought to himself as his thumbs hovered hesitantly above the phone screen.

 **Gaara:** "When and where?"

He did it once, he could do it again.

 **Unknown:** "Where they buried Sasuke. Don't bother looking up the address. Just start walking.You'll get there."

XXX

And so he did.

Gaara's feet brought him out on a path he wasn't sure he needed to be on. But Instead of watching where the path bended and winded in the empty streets, he looked to the sky instead. Kept his eyes on the fluffy clouds as they seemed to accelerate a sunset. The suns prescense dipped below the gray and he sank with it.

"You made it." A voice said. It was distant, almost eerie.

Gaara snapped out of his slight daze to look at what he assumed to be origin of the mystery voice. A black haired, maniah figure, with it's back to him. It stood their, looming over a grave stone, littered with already wilting flowers. A multitude of other graves, all left open and bare around this particular part of the cemetery.

He recognized it immediately.

 _'Sasuke's grave. '_

It stood their, so prideful. A headstone a person high a life wide. Seems the Uchiha's cockiness favored him even in death.

"You said I would. Who are you anyway?"

"You mean you don't recognize my voice?" The voice grew nearer as he approached the body in front of him. The soles of his shoes crunching with a crack amongst the dead leaves.

 _'Fallen leaves in... what month is it again?'_

"Unsure are we? Bet you don't even know what day it is? When it is? Hell, where you are?" The voice said as it noted his pause after stepping amongst the autumn leaves.

Gaara squinted his eyes as he edged closer. Wide shoulders, gruff voice. Surely a man, but who? Impatience took over the redhead before he could debate further. He gripped the man by the shoulder, spinning him around and he felt both equal parts disbelief and relief.

 _ **'I'm not a murder'**_ He thought. His eyes surely didn't betray him. _Surely_ those memories of bashing his skull in were false. The mournful tears, the closed casket. Surely they were all **fake**.

Sasuke had everyone fooled, but not him. No. Because Gaara wasn't crazy. The man was right there, in his grip.

"Where do you get off harassing me like this!?" Gaara shook the man. But found no response from the stimulus. He shook again but couldn't help but notice the dead look in his eyes. The one that glazed over as it looked not at him, but through him.

"He can't hear you ya know. " Words sounded once more, but not from Sasuke's mouth. "No more than that body you put in the ground."

 _'That voice again. I know that voice and it's not Sasuke's.'_

"You did this to him. It's almost ironic really." A tall hooded figure all but materialized in the fog. Black lockes peaking out from beneath his hood. Piercing blue eyes closed the distance from behind Sasuke's memorial stone and his face, Gaara could see clearly now.

Amidst the fog, and the confusion, it was Menma's face he saw.

"You-"

"Yes." He interrupted. "Me."

He waved a hand in front of Sasuke's face, but failed to get a response all the same.

"But it's _you_ who did this."

"I don't understand. If you know what the Hell is going on then why don't you just explain?" Gaara's temper began to rise again. Either with Menma, Sasuke, or maybe even himself.

He couldn't be to sure. Everything about this school, these people, his life, seemed unsure.

Unfair.

He just wanted to be a normal student. He wanted a place for creativity, to study, learn. But instead. He could feel the pressure rising within. A truth he had no business partaking in was swelling at the surface and that all to familiar drowning feeling was consuming him, nearly chest high.

"I told you to stay away from her." Menmas anger matched if not dwarfed Gaara's. He shoved the redhead back whom threatened to fall into one of the many open graves. But instead just falling down, catching himself with his hands on the cold earth.

"And what do you do? You just keep digging, and digging, and **fucking digging**."

"Well it looks like someone needed to find out what the Hell is going on around here. Ghost. Conspiracies? For Christ sake, that asshole is playing _dead_ and you have the nerve to come at me?? What's the catch? Actually, forget all of this where's Naruto? He seems the to be the more sensible of you two weirdos." Gaara hoisted himself from the ground. Keeping the distance between them both. Sasuke, now unhanded, returned to his former task of watching his own grave.

Gaara took a moment to lament that this was the first time he's heard himself speak this much in what felt like an eternity. His voice a stranger, and this free will and questioning empowering.

"Naruto's not coming back. Haven't you figured this out by now? You fell for her little trap and now we're all fucked."

There it was again. More nonsense. More people running off at the mouth, this never ending confusion felt again like eternity.

" _What_ are you on about-"

"Get this through your **thick** skull. **Wake. Up**."

Gaara may not understand, but even he knew you could wake up from _eternity_. Right?

There's that fog agin. Gaara could feel Menma yelling at him as his body begins to limp. Falling back to the earth. The cold ground and the wet leaves enscasing him. That drowning sensation creeping towards his throat and for the second time that day he found himself looking up at a stranger.

Scrutinizing the face before him.

Menma was shouting at him, but no sound came out. Those friendly blue eyes were blazing and suddenly those dark lockes weren't so dark. Instead they were blonde. And the graveyard around them was bare, empty. Long gone were the clouds and he could feel the warmth. It was sunny.

Shinning even.

Gaara could hear him now.

"And now you've gone and put this poor boy in the dirt, now he's no better than a vessel. A Ghost. Just like my brother."


End file.
